FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGINEERING

HYDROLOGY
WR 321

Instructor: Dr. Nobert, J

December 29, 2015

OBJECTIVE
To provide basic knowledge to facilitate
understanding of hydrological processes
Estimation and technique for measurement of
water balance components
Technique for data processing

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MODE OF DELIVERY+ASSESSMENT

2 hour lecture per week (30 hrs)

Assessment: 2-Tests (40%), UE (60%)

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RECOMMENDED
REFERENCES/TEXTBOOKS
K. Subramanya, Engineering Hydrology, Tata
McGraw-Hill Pub. Co, New Delhi
Linsley, R.K.Jr., et.al; Hydrology for Engineers

December 29, 2015

COURSE CONTENT

Role of Hydrology in hydraulic and Water Resources

Engineering Projects: Components of the hydrological cycle,
Drainage basin as a hydrologic unit
Precipitation: Forms of precipitation, measurement of
precipitation, preparation of data, presentation of rainfall
data, Mean precipitation over an area, Depth-Area-Duration
relationships, Double curve, IDF curves, Probable
maximum precipitation
Abstractions from precipitation: Evaporation process,
evaporimeters, Empirical evaporation equations, analytical
methods of evaporation estimation, infiltration, etc

Runoff:

Hydrometric measurements

December 29, 2015

INTRODUCTION

Water is vital for all living organisms on Earth.

For centuries, people have been investigating
where water comes from and where it goes, why
some of it is salty and some is fresh, why
sometimes there is not enough and sometimes too
much.
All questions and answers related to water have
been grouped together into a discipline.
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December 29, 2015

INTRODUCTION
The name of the discipline is hydrology and is
formed by two Greek words: "hydro" and "logos"
meaning "water" and "science".
Hydrology is the science concerned with the
occurrence, distribution, movement and
properties of all the waters of the Earth.
A good understanding of the hydrologic processes
is important for the assessment of the water
resources, their management and conservation
on global and regional scales.

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GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES

Humankind cannot survive without water. Water

is vital to everyday life. It is used:
Drinking

Household

use (e.g. washing, cooking, bathing,

cleaning);
Sanitation;
Agriculture
Industrial processes.

December 29, 2015

GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES

We are forever striving to tap into additional
sources of water.
As population increase (globally, regionally,
nationally, locally):

There

is increased water demand; and

There is increased pollution due to human activities
reducing the volumes of clean water available.

Hydrology finds its greatest applications in the design

and operation of water resources engineering projects

December 29, 2015

APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING
Irrigation
Water supply
Flood control
Hydropower
Navigation

In all these projects hydrological investigations for the

proper assessment of the following factors are
necessary: (i) Capacity of the storage (ii) the
magnitude of flood flows to enable safe disposal of the
excess flow (iii) the minimum flows available at
various seasons (iv) the interaction of the flood wave
and hydraulic structures, such as levees, reservoirs,
barrages and bridges.

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Water can be obtained from a variety of

sources at different stages in the water cycle.
(1). Rainwater
- Rainwater can be collected directly by
channelling water falling on roofs, or other
impermeable surfaces, into storage vessels or
tanks.

December 29, 2015

SOURCES OF FRESH WATER

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The quantity of water available from this source

will depend on the prevailing climate, the area of
the collecting surface, and the available storage
capacity.
The quality of rainwater is generally good; any
impurities present are generally due to debris
and dust washed from the roofs or collection
channels.

December 29, 2015

RAINWATER

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Water may be extracted from the ground in a

number of ways, including springs, wells, and
boreholes.
Groundwater is likely to contain natural
chemical impurities derived from the composition
of the soil and rock with which it has been in
contact.

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(2) GROUNDWATER

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Surface water from streams, rivers, lakes and

reservoirs may be plentiful, but it is likely to be of
the poor quality unless abstracted from the upper
reaches of the catchment.
It is exposed to bacterial and chemical pollution
from many sources.

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(3) SURFACE WATER

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In order to satisfy mans ever increasing need for

new water supplies it is first necessary to assess
the quantity and quality of water available. We
therefore need to understand the water cycle.
The water cycle is the term used to describe the
continual movement of water between the sea, air
and land.
The water cycle is sometimes referred to as the
hydrological cycle.

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WATER CYCLE

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Components:
- Precipitation
- Surface runoff
- Evaporation
- Transpiration
- Groundwater flow

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HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

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Precipitation falls on to the surface of the earth

and either reaches streams and rivers as surface
runoff, or percolates through the ground, most of
it eventually arriving at the sea.
Water from both land and sea evaporates and
water from plants transpires into the
atmosphere.
The subsequent water vapour condenses into
clouds and eventually falls to earth again as rain,
thus completing the cycle.

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HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

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The water cycle can also be expressed in terms of

the water balance equation:

December 29, 2015

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

Precipitation (Evaporation + Transpiration + Runoff +

Groundwater outflow) = Change in storage

Methods based on this general equation can be

used to assess the water resources of individual
catchments areas so that we know how much
water can be extracted without depleting the
resource over a number of years.
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Movement of water through various phases in the

environment

December 29, 2015

HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

erratic

in time and space

magnitude and frequency of extremes important to
engineer
extremely complex

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General form: Rate of accumulation of mass in

system = Input rate - output rate reaction
Hydrologists: Change in storage = Inflow - Outflow
Assumptions:

December 29, 2015

MASS BALANCE IN HYDROLOGIC

SYSTEMS

no

reaction
volumes, pressure, temperature do not change

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MASS BALANCE EQUATION FOR

A LAKE
Mass rate of accumulati on (Qin R Qout ) water
( P I in E ET I out ) As water

1m

1000 mm

1h

3600 sec

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Qin = streamflow into lake (m3/h)

Qout = streamflow out of lake (m3/h)

R = runoff (m3/h)
E = evaporation (mm/h)
P = precipitation (mm/h)
ET = evapotranspiration (mm/h)

December 29, 2015

MASS BALANCE TERMS

Iin

= seepage into lake (mm/hr)

Iout

= seepage out of lake (mm/hr)

As = area of lake (m2)

water = density of water (kg/m3)

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December 29, 2015

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 1

A Lake has a surface area of 708,000 m2. In May, the

river A flows into the lake at an average rate of 1.5 m3/s.
The Meandering River flows out of the Lake at an average
rate of 1.25 m3/s. The evaporation rate was measured as
14.0 cm/mo. A total of 22.5 cm of precipitation fell in May.
Seepage losses are negligible. The average depth in the lake
on May 1 was 19 m. What was the average depth on May
30th?

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 Surface area of lake = 708,000 m2

Average depth on May 1 = 19 m.

Inputs to the lake

Average inflow = 1.5
cm3/s
P = 22.5 cm/mo

December 29, 2015

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Outputs to the lake

Average outflow = 1.25

cm3/s
E = 14.0 cm/mo
Seepage = 0
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PICTURE OF SYSTEM

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Flow into the lake is only from the river, no overland

flow
Seepage is negligible
Can use average values

December 29, 2015

WHAT ASSUMPTIONS HAVE WE MADE?

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Need to write equation:

Inflow - outflow + Precipitation - Evaporation =
Change in volume of water in the lake during this
month = S = change in storage
Need to worry about units, since some values are
given in units of volume/sec, others in depth/mo.

December 29, 2015

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

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The equation: S = I O + P E =

(1.5 m3/s)(86,400 s/day)(30 d/mo) (1.25 m3/s)(86,400

s/day)(30 d/mo) + (22.5 cm/mo)(m/100 cm)(708,000 m 2) (14.0 cm/mo)(m/100 cm)(708,000 m2) = 3,888,000 m3/mo
3,240,000 m3/mo + 159,300 m3/mo 99,300 m3/mo

December 29, 2015

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Solving the above equation, yields

S = 708,000 m3/mo

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Since S = 708,000 m3/mo and the average surface

area is 708,000 m2 , the change in depth during the
month
= (708,000 m3/mo)/708,000 m2 = 1 m or about 3.25
ft.
Note S is positive, this means that the volume
increases and therefore the depth increases. The
new average depth on May 30th would be 20 m.

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SOLVING THE PROBLEM

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WATERSHEDS

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(From: Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Davis and Cornwell, 3rd. Ed., Mc

Graw Hill Pub., 1998)

Original
(natural)

(a)
Q
time

December 29, 2015

WATERSHEDS

Partially
Fully
developed develope
d

(b)

(c)

(From: Hydrology and

Floodplain Analysis, 2nd
ed. P.B. Bedient and W.C.
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Huber, Addison-Wesley
Pub. 1992)

Q is flow at
outlet
(drain)

December 29, 2015

UNIT HYDROGRAPH

Rain Stops

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Same concept can be applied to a watershed

At any given time:
Accumulated inflow - Outflow = Storage

December 29, 2015

HYDROLOGIC CONTINUITY
EQUATION

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Rainfall accumulates on surface (surface detention)

storage increases
Rain stops storage decreases as water flows out
of the system

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HYDROLOGIC CONTINUITY
EQUATION

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December 29, 2015

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 2

In a given year, the X watershed, with an

area of 2500 km2, received 150 cm of
precipitation. The average rate of flow
measured in the River, which drained the
watershed, was 40 m3/s. Seepage is
estimated to occur at a rate of 9.2 x 10-7
cm/s. Evapotranspiration was estimated to
be 45 cm/yr. What is the change in storage
in the watershed?
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Draw picture
List information
Write question in symbolic form

December 29, 2015

SOLUTION

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Area = 2500 km2

P = 150 cm/yr

December 29, 2015

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Seepage = Infiltration=
Groundwater flow =
9.2 x 10-7 cm/s

ET = 45 cm/yr
Assume all flow in river is
due to runoff R = Qout

Qout = 40 m3/s

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S = P - ET - G - R
24hr

day

cm
cm
cm
sec
min
150
45
9.2 x10 7
60
60

yr
yr
sec
min
hr

cm 3
40

sec
cm
cm
cm
150
45
29

yr
yr
yr

sec
86,400

day

days
365
R
yr

days
cm
365
100

yr
m

2
2
m
2500 km 1000
km

December 29, 2015

HYDROLOGIC CONTINUITY EQUATION SOLUTION

= 150 - 45 -29 - 50.5 = 25.5 cm/yr = S

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 Runoff

Coefficient = R/P = 50.5/150 =

0.37
Typical values:

December 29, 2015

RUNOFF COEFFICIENTS

Lawns:

0.1 - 0.2
Roofs: 0.75 - 0.95
Streets: 0.70 - 0.95
Playgrounds: 0.20 - 0.35
Suburban areas: 0.25 - 0.40
Commercial areas: 0.70 - 0.95
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